Lawsuit unrelated to former minister

In a statement which challenged statements made by Attorney General Glenda Morean, FW Oil stated yesterday  that it did not allege that a former Minister of the Government requested any payment from the company in return for a contract to develop the Soldado oil field. In a release issued last night, the company stressed  that its US $100 lawsuit against the Government was based on the “wrongful” termination of the tender contract for the development of the Soldado field, which it claimed was contrary to the terms of the contract, the laws of Trinidad and Tobago and the bilateral investment treaty between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.

“The claim is not based on any allegation regarding a request for ‘improper consideration’ by a former Minister, the company noted,  adding that some of the statements made by Morean on Thursday were “unfortunately, inaccurate.” The company said it had tried “almost continuously” to resolve this problem through “constructive negotiations” with the Government, but it was unable to start “a meaningful dialogue.” As a result it was forced to seek international arbitration at the World Bank to protect its interests. It added that FW Oil remained committed to bring the Soldado Fields back on-line as soon as possible.  The company noted that the Government had spent substantial sums on lawyers and investigators and was now bringing in yet another team of investigators, following the insolvency of the original investigators, the London-based ISS, “whose inaccurate reports were leaked to the press in December 2000.”

Meanwhile the United National Congress (UNC) yesterday scoffed at the claims that a former government minister and officials of State-oil company Petrotrin tried to bribe the international oil company  in 2000. UNC chairman Wade Mark said the issue was nothing but a People’s National Movement (PNM) diversionary tactic for the July 14 Local Government Elections and the Government was “collectively chasing after windmills.” “There is nothing to substantiate those allegations,” he declared. Mark added that if there was evidence of wrongdoing in the Soldado affair, Government should bring those culpable to justice.

Addressing a post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall, Attorney-General Glenda Morean said the company, was alleging, among other things, that a request for an improper payment was made by a former minister and officials of Petrotrin and that Government had hired London lawyers to investigate these and other claims. The UNC chairman said Morean’s  priorities were misplaced and the AG “should pre-ocupy herself” with obtaining Canadian forensic investigator Bob Lindquist’s final report on alleged corruption at the Water and Sewerage Authority  (WASA). Mark said as far as he was aware the AG has not received Lindquist’s report. Mark alleged that Morean raised the Soldado issue to divert public attention away from WASA Waterfarms issue.